Everyone knows about Valentine’s Day and everyone’s probably had their share of good and bad ones. In Japan, there are two days to feel the love.

For Valentine’s Day this year, Craig and I had dinner at Nobu and exchanged cards and cheap treats (Correction: Craig found a card written in English for me and I made him one, since I failed on that front. But hey, it’s the thought that counts).

February 14 is still Valentine’s Day here, but the tradition is flipped — this is the day the woman in the relationship shows love for her man. Traditionally, she presents him with either honmei-choco, which is known as “chocolate of love,” or with giri-choco, which is “courtesy chocolate” or “obligation chocolate.” The candy can be either homemade or store-bought and is meant to signify a pledge of love for a significant other or friendship and loyalty in a platonic relationship. Sure, you can do the dinner and movie thing or the any other romantic outing, but if you’re looking to follow tradition, you’re done, girl.

One month later, on March 14, the men return the favor. They have all month to decide what to do for that special lady on what is known as White Day. Started in 1978 by the National Confectionery Industry Association, White Day is celebrated by the man giving gifts or chocolate in return for those received on Valentine’s Day.

Craig learned about this tradition from some of his female colleagues who encouraged him to participate. Thanks for lookin’ out, ladies!

I found online the value of the gift given by the man is supposed to be at least twice the value of what he received, but that could just be a personal choice. Other suggested gifts beyond candy were jewelry and white lingerie (anything white in general will do). You could also do something for her that shows your love in another way, like cooking her dinner. Be creative!

Craig surprised me with my favorite perfume (I ran out of it right before the move), a bottle of champagne and some cookies he knows I love (little koalas full of chocolate my sister and I snacked on as kids). With the move, I’ve certainly had my share of good and bad days and it’s nice to feel appreciated. I am one lucky lady.

I’m excited for Valentine’s Day and White Day next year when we can each take a day to celebrate the other person. And to my ladies back home looking to inspire their man to an act of romance — you’re welcome. Spread it like wildfire.

Another week has gone by and it’s starting to feel like Spring here. To all my friends and family back home buried in snow, I feel for you, but I don’t miss those fluffy flakes.

We had another first this week: our first earthquake in Japan. The only one I’d ever experienced was one near Washington D.C. in 2011 while I was living in New York. I was sitting on my living room floor in Brooklyn when I quite literally began bouncing along. I thought it was fun; Craig, back in Detroit, not so much. Once I found out what happened, I wasn’t so excited. I don’t do seismic shifts. Or weather.

This earthquake happened a little after 5 a.m. Craig was already awake, nervous about missing an earlier than usual alarm, and I blissfully slept through it. Ever since earthquake preparedness was a strange component of our welcome package during our move-in process, I’ve been more than a little nervous.

But that’s not all the past week had to offer. That delicious and expensive little cup of gelato pictured above was how we celebrated Fat Tuesday. Back home, it’s an excuse to each Paczki, which contain almost 1,000 calories. Here, we obviously couldn’t find any so we splurged on this amazing stuff (2-5-1 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo). Although, is it really Fat Tuesday if you never give up anything for Lent?

Self examinations aside, here are some more snapshots from the past seven days:

Made from pancake or waffle batter, taiyake are a delicious and portable treat. They’re commonly filled with fruit or cream, but I went with chocolate, and oh man. It tasted like Nutella with little crunchies in it, sort of like a Crunch bar. A word of caution though, do NOT squeeze, as the two sides of the waffle aren’t connected. Just as I did with almost every juice box I drank in middle school, I squeezed this sweet fishy to death and it ended in disaster. Thankfully a member of our group had a wet wipe to rescue my white winter coat.

This street performer is Asakusa had quite a costume and posed politely with anyone who wanted a photo. But his refusal to speak and lingering stare will haunt my dreams.

My first experience with sushi served on a conveyor belt. Everything was delicious and Craig even tried sea urchin, which was worth every one of the ¥735 that three-bite plate cost. My appetite could get me into trouble at these joints. I put down five plates and a beer in roughly 20 minutes. That being said, it’s a great place to take those new to sushi because they can try so many things. Most of the plates were between ¥100 and ¥300 and the wonderful chefs took requests.

Between 8 and 9 a.m. during the week, certain cars on the Tokyo Metro are reserved just for women so they can travel comfortably to work. I’ve not had a bad experience on the train here yet, but I can think of a few in Chicago and New York that make me wish they had a policy like this during the morning commute.

One of the toughest classes I ever took in college was a Japanese art history class. We studied hundreds of temples, shrines, statues and pieces of pottery. The detail and meaning of each symbol and structure was pretty overwhelming.

Getting to see these sights in person is one of the most exciting things about living in Japan for me. Now, if only I could go back in time and retake my final exam . . .

This past Saturday, we visited the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa (also known as the Asakusa Kannon Temple). This massive Buddhist temple is one of the most popular for tourists, so to say it was crowded would be an understatement. Thankfully, the sun was shining and neither of us are the claustrophobic-type.

The oldest temple in Tokyo, Sensoji was completed in 645 for the goddess of Kannon. It’s nothing short of spectacular. The original buildings were destroyed during World War II, and recreations are what exists on the grounds today.

When we first arrived, we passed through the outer gate, known as the Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate. Through there, you immediately enter a busy corridor known as the Nakamise with shops selling souvenirs, clothing and food. You can find products ranging from the kitschy to the elaborate and at a range of prices. Be sure to bring cash.

The Nakamise, where you can buy everything from kimonos to candy.

Beyond that is the second gate, the Hozomon. Straight ahead is the main hall of the temple. To it’s left is its 5-story pagoda and The Asakusa Shrine, which was completed in 1649.

When approaching the temple, there are a couple of things you can do. First, you can pay ¥100 for a fortune, something found at a lot of temples. There also often is a place to discard unwanted fortunes for others to claim.

Next, you approach the large incense burners. I remember my sister and I filling our house with the smell of incense in high school, but I think the only motivation behind that was to keep our parents out of our rooms. This incense is for cleansing purposes, so you’ll see people of all ages wafting the smoke toward themselves.

Step up to the incense burner and allow the smoke to purify you. It actually smelled pretty great.

Beyond that is the main building. We didn’t take any photos from inside out of respect, but it’s a beautiful structure of rich colors and gold. When you enter, it’s customary to toss a few coins into a large bin covered by wooden bars and to pray. I made my offering and took a moment to take in the surroundings, but then made sure to get out of the way for those who were there to worship. You can see people working and praying within the inner rooms of the temple through screens, which I would have loved to watch for longer.

About to enter the main hall. So many people!

This massive lantern hung over the main entrance to the hall.

The reverence and peace at places like this are something to behold. Count me in for visits to more temples during my time here. Just don’t test me later.

One of the signatures of the Tokyo food scene is the array of plastic food outside each restaurant. Typically housed in a glass case or on a table in front of smaller establishments, this visual is intended to help you make a faster decision and avoid entering a restaurant not knowing what to expect.

In other words, you’ve been warned. No excuses. Makes sense, right?

Now, this isn’t that hollow plastic fruit you fill a hurricane vase with or the pieces that came with your Playskool kitchen. The best food replicas look good enough to eat. According to The Japan Times, the use of plastic food replicas began in the 1920s, when a craftsman switched gears from making replicas for use by doctors (organs and other yucky stuff) to creating startlingly realistic plastic food.

So, where does it all come from? A lot can be found in Kappabashi district, also known as “Kitchen Town,” located in Asakusa. Craig and I checked it out on Saturday.

Anyone who loves to cook and visits Tokyo should make Kitchen Town a must-stop. You can find any cooking tool your heart desires as well as amazing dishes. This home cook already knows what she wants for Christmas. I can’t wait to take my sister and brother-in-law there this summer, since they’re both avid cooks.

After almost giving up on finding the mecca of artificial foods, we stumbled on the aptly-named Sample Shop and couldn’t believe our eyes. Not only were the plastic replicas incredible — they had everything from sushi to ice cream cones — but the prices! Those adorable keychains and magnets I’d read about were between ¥2,000 (about $20) and ¥4,000 ( about $40). And if you thought In-N-Out was expensive, wait until you see what a cheeseburger costs.

Once you take a closer look at the exquisite detail of these products, you understand why:

This sushi clock is the gift that just keeps on giving. The one-liners write themselves (“It’s half-past tuna! Shrimp o’clock!”). This being said, I want it.

Individual sushi pieces. Child’s play.

These are the infamous cheeseburger replicas. Much larger than a normal burger, they’re between ¥5,000 ($500) and ¥7,000 ($700).

Two spaghetti dishes with floating forks. Italian food is everywhere, by the way, and you can get spaghetti a million different ways.

An array of desserts including New York Style cheesecake and macarons. Swoon.

This is an area I’ll definitely return to once we’re settled in our new place. I’d also like to check out Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya, a more well known and larger sample shop.

Is plastic food a little weird? Yes. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t count on it as an English-only speaking expat. Tabe ni iku!